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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. net — in sport
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. press — to push
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. net — for catching
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rush — hurry
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. degree — an amount
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com